(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a user system for a distributed network, and more particularly, to a user system of a type which has no distributed application platform provided therein and thus is unable to be incorporated in a distributed network.
(2) Description of the Related Art
TINA (Telecommunications Information Networking Architecture) is known as a distributed network architecture using a distributed application platform which is distributed communication control means.
FIG. 47 shows, by way of example, a configuration of a distributed network conventionally adopted according to TINA. A user system 100, such as a workstation, is equipped with an interface card 100a for distributed application platform, a network card 100b, and a sound card 100c. The sound card 100c treats a speaker 100d as a stream flow endpoint.
Network systems 101, 102 and 103 also are provided with interface cards 101a, 102a and 103a for distributed application platform, respectively, and the network systems 102 and 103 are additionally provided with network cards 102b and 103b, respectively. The distributed application platform interface cards 100a, 101a, 102a and 103a are interconnected via a control signaling channel 122, and the network cards 100b, 102b and 103b are interconnected via an information channel 121 and ATM switches 111 and 112.
FIG. 48 illustrates the architecture of the distributed network shown in FIG. 47. As shown in FIG. 48, in a TINA-compliant distributed network architecture using a distributed application platform (CORBA etc.) 150, an information network 130 and a signaling network 140 are separated from each other. The distributed application platform 150 is a distributed OS for executing distributed communication control and is hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cdistributed communication control means.xe2x80x9d
The signaling network 140 can be divided into user components 141 and 142 and network components 145 to 149. The user components 141 and 142 are application programs of user systems that use the distributed communication control means 150, and the network components 145 to 149 are application programs of network systems that also use the distributed communication control means 150. If a request signal requesting establishment of an information link on the information channel 121 is sent from the user component 141, 142 to the signaling network 140, it is transferred to the network component 145-149 via the distributed communication control means 150. Thereupon, a connection request is sent from the network component 145-149 to a network information unit 135, 136, and also a connection request is sent from the user component 141, 142 to a stream terminating system 131 and a network terminating system 132. As a result, an information link is established on the information channel 121.
FIG. 49 shows, by way of example, a structure of a user system complying with TINA. As shown in the right-hand part of FIG. 49, conventionally, the user system has the distributed communication control means 150, treats the sound card 100c of the user system 100, for example, as a stream flow endpoint, and logically treats the network card 100b, which is the connection point between the network terminating system of the user system 100 and the network information system, as a network flow endpoint.
According to TINA, a flow connection within the user system 100 signifies a logical connection between stream and network flow endpoints using the distributed communication control means 150. For physical connections as shown in the left-hand part of FIG. 49, the distributed communication control means is not used. Thus, TINA prescribes nothing as to physical connections (i.e., outside the scope of provisions). User components for performing physical connections are vaguely defined as UAP (User Application) or CPE-CP (Customer Premise Equipment Connection Performer), but what TINA defines is only interfacing with other user components or other network components. Also, for the stream flow endpoint and the network flow endpoint, there is a general provision as to what information is retained thereby, but conversion with respect to actual systems, etc. are not defined because of diversity of system types and for other reasons.
As stated above, in conventional user systems adopted in TINA, the physical point represented by a stream flow endpoint and the physical point represented by a network flow endpoint are incorporated in the user system having the distributed communication control means provided therein. Accordingly, in a section of the user system except the distributed communication control means, connections between physical points alone are performed.
Conventionally, therefore, a user system which is not provided with the distributed communication control means, for example, a private branch exchange, is associated with a problem that it cannot be directly connected as a user system to a distributed network. Specifically, in order to incorporate a private branch exchange in a distributed network as a part of a user systems, it is necessary that a system having the distributed communication control means should be connected to the private branch exchange, and that a request from the private branch exchange (line) or from the distributed network should be converted by the system into a request to the distributed network or to the private branch exchange (line).
Further, conventional private branch exchanges and the like operate on specialized OS and cannot be provided with the distributed communication control means, and therefore, a private branch exchange is unable to function as a user system by itself and thus cannot be directly connected to a distributed network.
An object of the present invention is to provide a user system for a distributed network whereby a user system which is not provided with a distributed application platform can be connected to a distributed network.
To achieve the above object, there is provided a user system for a distributed network in which flow connection is expressed by a logical link between a stream flow endpoint and a network flow endpoint, and physical points represented by the stream and network flow endpoints, respectively, are linked in a flow-dependent manner. The user system comprises a user signaling unit, a user information unit incorporating therein physical points corresponding to stream and network flow endpoints, respectively, a flow endpoint control channel connecting the user signaling unit and the user information unit, distributed communication control means provided in the user signaling unit, distributed network service control means provided in the user signaling unit, information unit control means, provided in the user signaling unit, for controlling the user information unit by means of a flow endpoint control signal, physical point linking means provided in the user information unit, and flow endpoint control signal processing means provided in the user information unit and cooperating with the user signaling unit by means of the flow endpoint control signal.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention by way of example.